Do you see the benefits of mindfulness and meditation?

Mindfulness and meditation are huge buzzwords associated with health and wellbeing in recent years.

Silver Surfers reports that although it’s a technique that dates back thousands of years, it seems especially relevant in today’s modern world.

Society is becoming more secular and our use of technology means we’re ‘switched on’ at all hours, constantly accessing information, working and interacting online. While there’s plenty of benefits to this modern way of life, it can also lead to burnout. We feel more pressure to keep up with the fast pace of life and often end up feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed. Meditation and mindfulness offer an antidote to that; the practice helps us calm down, slow down and live in the moment.

It can lead to greater happiness, better focus, reduced stress and is also a technique for dealing with anxiety and depression. The best part is – it’s free. Anyone can do it from anywhere at any time. There are dozens of guided meditation apps and videos on YouTube, as well as a huge amount of information at your fingertips online. Anyone can give it a go and by building up a regular practice you can potentially start to see some huge benefits. That said, sometimes enthusiasm for mindfulness and meditation runs ahead of the evidence – meditation isn’t a cure-all for everything. And then there’s the challenge of actually doing it. Particularly at first, sitting quietly with your thoughts for even five or ten minutes can be incredibly challenging. Many people are attracted to the benefits of meditation but can’t bring themselves to actually stick with it.